In April 2003 Japan’s NHK Satellite 2TV started airing Korean drama “Winter Sonata.” This poignant love story drove the Japanese audiences wild and launched what is now known as “hallyu.” But the origin of hallyu goes back much further, to 1993 when Korean drama "Jealousy" was first aired in China and five-member boy band HOT invaded the Chinese music scene to drive the young Chinese wild in 2000. Such enthusiasm for Korean pop culture spread beyond China to take Taiwan and Hong Kong, and then to Southeast Asia. Their love of Korean pop culture led to mounting interest in Korean products and traditional culture, such as kimchi and gochujang. Korea’s pop music and dramas transcended the boundaries of nationality, religion, and territory to capture the hearts of millions of people around the globe. It’s been over a decade since the wave of Korean pop culture began surging, but hallyu is not going to slow down anytime soon, because Korean culture has much more to show people around the world.
